Parallels
by Amberle-chan
Summary: Tsuzuki and Hisoka are assigned to solve some nefarious incidents at a hotel resort. TsuzukiHisoka pairing. Chapter 3 is here!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything and never will. Oh, how sad I am….

**Author's Note:** This fic will be in two parts. The first part is loosely based on a very famous song by a classic rock band of the 1970s. Only four words from the song appear in this first chapter. I'm sure someone out there will be able to guess the song (at least I certainly hope so!).

_Parallels_

By Amberle-chan

Part One

Chapter I

It was nearly mid-morning in Meifu, and as usual, the sky was a startling blue, and the sakura trees was blooming. However, Hisoka hardly noticed the outside environment at all, because he was deeply engrossed in the day's paperwork when Watari walked into the office with 003 perched on his shoulder. "Hey there, kid," he greeted Hisoka. "Where's Tsuzuki?"

"Morning, Watari," Hisoka replied. He closed his eyes, concentrating. After a moment or two, Hisoka opened his eyes. His partner was extremely happy. That could only mean he was in the break room, indulging his sweet tooth again. "He's in the break room, eating some pastries."

Watari gave the young shinigami a disapproving look, pulled a chair out, and sat down next to him. "You haven't told him yet, have you?" he asked.

Hisoka blushed, looked away, and shook his head. "No."

"Why not?" Watari asked. "It's been months! Look, Hisoka, this is important. You need to tell him!"

Hisoka shrugged his shoulders. "I don't want to, at least not yet," he replied, finally turning his eyes up to the older man's face, his expression pleading. "Please, Watari, don't tell him."

The blonde scientist sighed. "Well, I did make that promise after Kyoto, didn't I?" he said, with a small smile. "I won't tell him. But really, Hisoka, you've got to tell him someday or he just may figure it out himself."

"I know, Watari, it's just that…" Hisoka began to say.

"You're afraid to," the blonde-haired scientist finished for him. He smiled gently at the young man. "Honestly, Hisoka, you don't have anything be afraid of. I doubt Tsuzuki would be angry." He stood up. "I'll go get him and meet you in the conference room. Tatsumi wants to meet with all of us."

"See you in a few, then." Hisoka replied as Watari left the room.

As Hisoka walked down the corridor toward the conference room, he thought about his partner and the fire at Shion University in Kyoto. The memory always made him cringe inside, and yet something good had come out of it all.

Tsuzuki was still with him.

For a moment, Hisoka let his mind wander back to the conversation he had had with Watari just now, and that thought led him to remember another conversation they had had in his laboratory a week after the fire.

xxvxx

_"Watari?" Hisoka called out as he knocked lightly on the laboratory door._

_The door opened to reveal the blonde-haired scientist. "Hey there, kid!" he greeted the young shinigami with a big smile. "I'm so glad to see you up and about! Something I can do for you?"_

_"Can I talk to you about something?" Hisoka asked quietly._

_"Sure, sure!" Watari answered as he ushered the boy inside. "What is it?"_

_Hisoka closed the door behind him and then moved over to lean against one of the counters, although he made sure to steer clear of any liquid-filled beakers. Watari watched him with an amused expression. "So what's wrong, kid?"_

_Hisoka grimaced once at the hated nickname, and said, "My empathy's…changed."_

_Watari's amusement changed to seriousness as he peered at Hisoka through his glasses. "Changed? How?"_

_"I've sort of noticed it since the fire," Hisoka explained, as his eyes closed. "I've always been able to feel when he was in trouble, even as far back when we first started working together in Nagasaki, but now I feel him all the time…"_

_"Tsuzuki?" Watari questioned quietly. Hisoka nodded. "And it bothers you? You want me to find some way to fix it?"_

_Hisoka's eyes flew open as he shook his head, and waved his hands negatively. "No…no!" he exclaimed. His hands fell. "I just thought you should know about it."_

_Watari considered his young friend, his face now neutral. "So you can feel him all the time now, hmm? Even though I know he can shield his emotions from you?"_

_"Yeah," Hisoka said. "It's sort of like he's constantly there in the back of my mind—I can feel his emotions, like usual, but I don't need to be in the same room with him anymore. I can tell where he is all the time now."_

_"So what's he feeling now?"_

_Hisoka closed his eyes, concentrating. "Guilty," he replied. His shoulders slumped. "That seems to be what he feels most these days. I wish he'd stop though. He's got to realize that it wasn't his fault!"_

_"Hmm, well, that's not surprising, is it? Tsuzuki's just being himself. He was always one to take the weight of the world on his shoulders. We just have to make him realize that he doesn't need to do that, though. Probably take quite awhile, but he'll get better eventually. Don't you worry about that," Watari commented. He suddenly eyed Hisoka suspiciously, as if he were staring at one of his experiments. "Can he feel you back?"_

_"No, I don't think so."_

_Watari nodded once more and thoughtfully stared at Hisoka for several quiet moments. "You haven't told him, yet, have you?" Hisoka shook his head. "You should, you know. Some could say that feeling Tsuzuki's emotions like that all the time is an enormous breach of privacy."_

_"Well, I can still shield against him when I need to," Hisoka replied. He hesitated for a moment before he spoke again. "I'll tell him…eventually."_

_"Hisoka…"_

_"No…please listen, Watari," Hisoka pleaded, turning to face the scientist fully, one hand clenched tightly. "I know what you're saying…I really do. I know that this could be wrong, but I can't tell him, at least not yet." His emerald eyes bored into the older shinigami's amber ones, as his cheeks suddenly turned slightly pink. "Please…try to understand. I…I…need to feel him, okay? I need to know he's there and not going to do anything as stupid as he tried to do back in Kyoto!" His shoulders dropped as he slumped back against the counter again. "Besides, if I tell him, he might want to break this…link with me. I don't think I could stand that right now. I really do need to feel him. Promise me you won't tell him. I'll tell him when I'm ready."_

_Watari studied him quietly for several moments before he finally nodded in agreement. "I understand, Hisoka," he assured the young man quietly. He paused momentarily before going on. "You really do care about him quite a lot, don't you, kid?" he asked seriously as he searched the young man's face. Hisoka did not reply, but just kept staring at the scientist with pleading eyes. "Oh, alright, okay, I promise I won't tell him. However, if something ever goes wrong with this--what did you call it--link, I want you tell me and him, right away."_

_Hisoka nodded. "Thank you, Watari."_

xxvxx

When Hisoka walked into the conference room, Tsuzuki was already there with Watari and Tatsumi. He had been right; his partner was cheerfully chewing on a cherry danish.

"Hey, Hisoka!" Tsuzuki greeted him with a big smile.

Hisoka was glad to feel that his partner was so happy at the moment; Tsuzuki's periods of feeling good had been too few and far between the last few months. However, because Hisoka rarely showed his own feelings, he nodded once at his partner, schooled his features into his usual sullen expression, and sat down. "You wanted to see us, Tatsumi?"

Tatsumi nodded and gave his attention to Tsuzuki. "It's time for you get to back to field work, Tsuzuki," he announced as pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Yippee!" Tsuzuki crowed, his amethyst eyes sparkling, dropping the danish on the table. "It's about time, Tatsumi! I was getting bored out of my mind!" He turned to Hisoka. "Isn't that great, Hisoka, we get to work together again!"

Hisoka rolled his eyes at Tsuzuki's enthusiasm, but also hid his sudden smile behind one hand. If it wasn't so out of place, he probably would be cheering, too. Finally, he would be getting his partner back. He had been working with a different partner practically for every week for the last four months. At least he knew how to deal with Tsuzuki's emotions, and Tsuzuki could shield himself to some degree, so Hisoka's mind wasn't always bombarded by his emotions, but most of the other shinigami, with the exception of a few, did not even know how to use shields. Keeping his own shields up a constant basis had been wearing him out to such a degree that he barely had the strength to get home and collapse each night.

"It should be a relatively simple case," Tatsumi said, breaking into Hisoka's thoughts, as he handed Hisoka a blue manila folder. Hisoka opened the folder to read it as Tsuzuki peered over his shoulder.

"Nice place," Tsuzuki commented as he looked down at the first picture in the folder.

"Yes," Tatsumi agreed. "It's called The Zephyr. It is a small, but well-known hotel/resort just outside of Nagasaki. In the last three months, there have been three deaths there, all on the night of the new moon."

"All three victims," Watari continued, "were only in their early to late twenties. They all just died suddenly as soon as they walked out the front door, but we don't know why! All three names have appeared on the Kiseki, but none of the them have arrived in Meifu."

"You suspect murder?" Hisoka asked.

"I do, but if you examine the photographs, you will notice that there are virtually no marks on the bodies—not even a bruise," Tatsumi answered. "The coroner could find no explanation at all for their deaths."

"You can count on us, Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki exclaimed. "We'll find them in no time!"

"The next new moon is in four days. That should give you plenty of time to check the place out," Tatsumi said. "I trust that you will keep a tight watch on how much money is spent, Kurosaki-kun?" Hisoka nodded.

"Oh, come on, I can keep a watch on what I spend, Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki said.

Tatsumi glared at Tsuzuki, who wilted under that hard gaze. "Yes, I know how well you do that, Tsuzuki," he replied. "That's why I'm leaving Kurosaki in charge of all your funds." He handed Hisoka some cash; Hisoka nodded and put the cash in his pants pocket. "I'll make sure we're careful."

"Oh, you're both so mean!"

Tatsumi ignored Tsuzuki's outburst as he re-adjusted his glasses again. "You should leave right away. Make sure you contact me at least once a day."

Tsuzuki and Hisoka both stood up. "Yes, sir!" they said together before leaving his office.

xxvxx

"Wow, look at this place, Hisoka!" Tsuzuki declared enthusiastically as the porter led them from the lobby of the hotel and out into the courtyard on the way to their room. "It even looks better than the picture!"

"Yeah, I guess," Hisoka replied, and then he suddenly halted and stared all around the courtyard. It was a very pretty, large courtyard; it was shaped like an octagon, in which brightly colored flowers and neatly trimmed shrubs dotted each corner. A wide engawa bordered the area, shading each of the several rooms that overlooked the space. A small fountain in the center, with a statue of a young woman holding a tipped over vase splashed water lightly into the basin below. Chairs and tables were strategically placed around the fountain, near the corners, and even some on the engawa.

It was filled with people.

Nearly a dozen couples, both young and old, all of them dressed in fine summer clothing, were dancing about the yard, waltzing. Several people sat in the chairs, sipping their tea, as they chatted with one another. A few children ran after each other as they played a game of tag in between the dancing couples.

Hisoka blinked and then stared in wide-eyed astonishment. It was very early in the day for anyone to be dancing.

"Hisoka?" a voice near his shoulder asked. "Hisoka? Everything okay?"

He blinked again and looked over his shoulder. Tsuzuki was standing next to him, looking at him, a concerned expression on his face. "Huh?"

"You blanked out there for a moment. You okay?"

Hisoka nodded. "I thought Tatsumi said that this place wouldn't be crowded," he commented.

Tsuzuki gazed around the courtyard and shrugged his shoulders. "Doesn't seem that crowded to me," he replied. He gestured toward the porter who was patiently waiting for them on the other side of the courtyard with their luggage. "Come on, let's go get in settled in and then go eat! I'm starving!"

Hisoka nodded and followed his partner.

It wasn't until he had stepped inside the inn and looked back into the courtyard that he realized something.

He shivered.

There hadn't been any music.

There hadn't been any voices.

There hadn't been any laughter.

He had not heard a single sound, except for the soft splashing of the fountain.

"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki's voice called. "Are you coming?"

The young shinigami nodded again and followed his partner inside, but he kept glancing over his shoulder. All the people he had seen were still there.

xxvxx

They quickly settled into their room, which was quite spacious, with twin double beds, a couch, coffee table, desk and chair, recliner, and a large bathroom. Tsuzuki began to poke around immediately as soon he threw his clothes into the chest of drawers.

"Oh, look, a mini-bar, too!" he cried happily, as he opened one of doors underneath the TV stand. It was filled with water, soda, juice, miniature bottles of alcohol, and to Tsuzuki's everlasting delight, junk food.

Hisoka groaned. The last thing they needed was mini-bar. He wondered briefly if he could ask the hotel manager to padlock the thing.

"Why don't we have some fun for a change, Hisoka? We can have the food in the mini-bar for dinner!" Tsuzuki suggested.

Hisoka scowled slightly at his partner as he closed the closet door, where he had just hung up the last of his clothing. "Mini-bars cost extra. Besides, you know that I prefer eating real food." He walked over to the room door and opened it.

"Oh, come, Hisoka, live a little! Let's splurge! You know we'll have this case solved in no time!"

"No."

Tsuzuki's smile faltered as he sighed dramatically, but he still followed his partner out of the room.

"I don't believe that Tatsumi agreed to pay for a room like that!" the older shinigami declared as they walked down the hallway back toward the courtyard.

"That room is the cheapest one they have here, you idiot," Hisoka replied. "It didn't make sense to go to a cheaper hotel when the case happens to be right here."

"Oh, right," Tsuzuki said. They stepped out into the courtyard. The sun was sliding toward the west, but there was still plenty of light to keep the yard well lit. "Let's sit by the fountain!"

Hisoka shook his head. He could already see that all the chairs and tables by the fountain were full. "No, there's already people sitting there," he answered as he sat down at an empty table on the engawa.

Tsuzuki glanced at the tables by the fountain, shrugged his shoulders, and joined his partner at the table. A waiter appeared a minute later to hand them some menus.

"May I get you something to drink, sirs?" the waiter inquired.

"Just water for me, thanks," Hisoka replied.

"I'll have the house wine," Tsuzuki said. Tatsumi may be cheap, but he certainly couldn't begrudge Tsuzuki a little wine!

The waiter's smile faded a little. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir, we don't have any wine," he said. "However, we do have pink champagne."

Tsuzuki nodded. "On ice, please," he said.

"Of course, sir!" the waited replied, then he hurried away.

"It's weird that they don't have wine," Tsuzuki commented as he began to read his menu.

"It's bad enough they have mini-bars," Hisoka murmured under his breath as he picked up his own menu.

Tsuzuki did not hear him, however. "Oh, look, Hisoka!" he began to say excitedly, pointing at one item on the menu. Hisoka just knew that it had to be a dessert.

"No."

"You're so mean, Hisoka!"

Several minutes later, the waiter returned with their drinks, and they ordered their dinners. Tsuzuki even somehow managed not to order the most expensive thing on the menu, much to Hisoka's relief.

Once the waiter had slid their plates onto to the table and left, Tsuzuki finally decided it was time to stop goofing off and get down to business.

"Okay, I was able to sneak a look at the registry," the older shinigami told Hisoka quietly as they began to eat. "There aren't that many people here, so it should be easy to check everyone out."

Hisoka looked bewildered as he peered around the courtyard. Practically every table was full of people laughing and talking with each other. "In four days?" he asked.

"Sure, plenty of time!" Tsuzuki exclaimed. "We might even have some time to have some fun!"

Hisoka's looked at his partner incredulously as he gazed at all the people filling up the courtyard again, but Tsuzuki never noticed because he was absorbed in shoving as much food in his mouth as he could.

"We should also check out the staff," Hisoka suggested, after a moment.

Tsuzuki nodded and finished chewing his food. "Good idea. How about we split the job up? I'll check out the guests, and you can do the staff."

Hisoka agreed with a nod of his head and returned his attention to his meal. Minutes later, Tsuzuki finished up the last of his champagne, pushed his plate away, stood up, and patted his stomach.

"Oh, I'm so stuffed!" Tsuzuki declared, as he smiled down at his partner. "It's too late to get started on anything tonight. How about we take a walk on the beach?" He turned to go.

"Tsuzuki, look out…!" Hisoka began to say as Tsuzuki nearly ran into an older woman wearing a pink chiffon dress.

Tsuzuki did not hear him and kept right on going.

Hisoka's jaw dropped as Tsuzuki passed completely through the woman and made his way across the courtyard toward the lobby of the hotel.

Hisoka's emerald eyes widened in shock. The impossible had just happened.

That woman had been a ghost, and Tsuzuki hadn't even seen her!


	2. Chapter 2

_**Parallels**_

By Amberle-chan

Part One

Chapter II

It was not possible.

Yet Hisoka had seen it happen with his own eyes.

Tsuzuki had passed through that woman's spirit and hadn't even seen her.

Hisoka stared around the courtyard as several things began to click into place.

No music, no talking, no laughter.

Tsuzuki saying that the hotel wasn't that crowded, saying that it shouldn't take them that long to check everyone out.

Were all these people ghosts? If they were, then why couldn't Tsuzuki see them?

Slowly, cautiously, Hisoka let down his mental shields, the protection he always used to keep people's emotions from soaking into his empathic mind. When he had first walked into the hotel's courtyard earlier that day, he had instinctively strengthened his shields, knowing that with so many people around, he would need their protection. He had strengthened his shields to such a degree that even his link with Tsuzuki was only a single thin thread of connection. One by one he began to strip the layers of his shields away.

Inwardly he cringed, preparing himself for the mental barrage of all the emotions that were present in the courtyard, but he had to know who was alive and who was not. Like all shinigami, he could see ghosts, but to Hisoka they did not appear to be solid and real. It was only when he used his empathy that he could tell the difference. The emotions of those who were alive would seep into his mind immediately. Those emotions always felt heavy to Hisoka; they crashed into his mind, the weight bearing him down. However, the emotions of spirits were always tentative, as if the feelings would slip through his fingers if he did not hold onto them tight enough.

Hisoka leaned heavily on the table for support as he let the feelings flow into him.

The man at the bar was guilty and upset and worried that his girlfriend would never come out of their room after their fight. He was even more anxious that she wouldn't let him back in.

The elderly couple sitting at a table by the fountain were both happy and content, glad in each other's company.

Of the other couple by the fountain, the woman was nearly ecstatic that her and her husband were finally alone on vacation, while the man smiling at her was bordering on panic, wondering how they were ever going to pay for it with their mounting credit card debt.

The waiters were alternatively wondering how late they were going to have to work and whether their tips for the night would be decent. One waiter was having lascivious thoughts about the hotel's concierge.

Hisoka braced himself further on the table and closed his eyes momentarily as he tried to fight off the pain, the throbbing headache that had begun and promised him endless hours of misery if he didn't stop what he was doing soon, but he couldn't give up just yet.

He slowly opened his eyes and let his gaze settle on the more than dozen couples who were dancing and those who were sitting at the other tables around the courtyard.

He still could not hear talking, laughter, or music, and yet they were dancing, laughing, and talking. These people…all these people were ghosts.

He opened himself still further so he could more firmly touch their emotions.

Their laughter was false, covering their overwhelming despair.

Even though Hisoka now knew that most of the people he was seeing were now ghosts, their feelings were all the same, their collective emotions palpable.

_Hopelessness and fear_.

_Desolation._

_A desperate need to be free_.

All bleeding profusely into his brain.

Clutching at his head, Hisoka fled the courtyard and stumbled into the main lobby of the hotel. He needed to find Tsuzuki…

Hisoka's remaining shields scattered as someone collided with him, and he was knocked heavily to the floor.

"Oh, man, I'm sorry!" a voice said. "Are you all right?"

Through his now fuzzy vision, Hisoka found himself looking up at man with a pair of dark brown eyes framed by a black thatch of hair. He was Tsuzuki's age, perhaps a little older. An arm reached down and pulled him to his feet.

Concern and guilt. It was too much.

Hisoka bit his lip to prevent crying out against the immense pain in his head as the world started to spin wildly.

He took one step and nearly fell again.

The man caught him. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked. "Did you hit your head?"

The man's concern was like a sledge hammer. Hisoka pressed his hands against his head as he fought against the intense urge, the need to curl into a ball and hide…

"Maybe you should sit down," the man suggested, leading him to a nearby couch.

Hisoka sank down into the cushions and clutched uselessly at his head, rocking back and forth as his brain was stabbed again and again with burning, intense pain.

_Concern. Anxiety. Worry._

"No…stop…," he whimpered.

A small group of people gathered around him, including the hotel concierge.

"Takeo?" she asked. "What happened?"

_Curiousity. Worry. Fear._

Hisoka nearly cried out and buried his face against his knees, wrapping his arms around his head.

"I collided with him accidentally, knocked him down," the man said. "I think he hit his head."

"I'll go call the doctor," the concierge offered, and then hurried away.

**FEAR. INTENSE WORRY.**

"What happened?" a familiar voice demanded, laced with panic. Hisoka could barely recognize that is was Tsuzuki's voice through the burning pain lancing through his brain. "Hisoka!"

"I knocked him down accidentally," Takeo answered. "I think he hit his head."

"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki asked.

Tsuzuki's voice was coming from far away, yet when Hisoka raised his head slightly, he found himself staring into Tsuzuki's amethyst eyes, his partner kneeling only inches away from him, an expression of deep anxiety on his face.

"Shields…gone," Hisoka managed to rasp out, his voice only loud enough for Tsuzuki to hear. "Got to …get away…"

Tsuzuki nodded in understanding, and then Hisoka could feel him strengthening his own shields, shutting off his emotions from Hisoka to save him from further pain. Yet that did not shut out the emotions of everyone else in the room. He had to get Hisoka out of the lobby immediately. "Can you stand?" Tsuzuki asked. Hisoka shook his head and cried out in pain. He buried his face in his lap again, his arms wrapped tightly around himself, trembling.

"Don't worry, Hisoka," Tsuzuki whispered reassuringly. "I'll get you out of here."

"We sent for a doctor," Takeo said. "Maybe we should wait for him."

Tsuzuki looked up at him. "You are?"

"Harada Takeo. I work here," Takeo replied. "I play piano in the lounge. I really am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt him."

"Tsuzuki…please," Hisoka whimpered.

Tsuzuki stood up and in a single swift movement gathered Hisoka into his arms. He could feel the tenseness in his young partner's muscles, as Hisoka fought the instinct to flinch away from any contact. "I'm going to take him to our room," Tsuzuki said, with a small smile. "I don't think he'll need a doctor. I'll take care of him."

"But…," Takeo began to say.

"No, really, it's okay," Tsuzuki assured him, putting on his most charming smile. "Don't worry. He'll be fine."

Then, cradling Hisoka gently in his arms, Tsuzuki strode quickly away toward their room.

xxvxx

When Tsuzuki reached their room, he struggled with the door for a moment before he was able to finally slide it open. He walked in and gently laid Hisoka on his bed. The boy's eyes were closed, his face showing his pain as he lay limp and extremely pale against the pillows. Tsuzuki hurried into the bathroom and returned several moments later, a glass of water in one hand and a couple of aspirin in the other.

"Hisoka?" he asked quietly.

His young partner opened his eyes, and Tsuzuki could tell he was having a great deal of trouble focusing on him. Tsuzuki pressed the glass of water and aspirin into his hands. Hisoka accepted the water and aspirin, then he leaned heavily back against the pillows and gulping the pills down, followed by the water.

Tsuzuki sat down on the bed next to him. "Can you tell me what happened?" he questioned.

Hisoka winced and placed his hand on his temple, rubbing it. He was in so much pain that he had even cut his connection to Tsuzuki. "Later," he replied, his voice strained. "Please?"

Tsuzuki nodded and smiled gently at him. "Okay, you rest. I'll come back later."

He stood up and turned to go. "Thanks, Tsuzuki," he heard Hisoka's voice murmur behind him. Tsuzuki gave him another smile before he closed the door behind him.

xxvxx

Tsuzuki returned to their room nearly two hours later, followed by Watari. Because of his intense worry about his partner, he had returned to Meifu to fetch the blonde-haired scientist. Tsuzuki quietly opened the door and peered inside. Hisoka was deeply asleep, his gentle, even breathing the only sound in the room.

"He's asleep," he told Watari over his shoulder.

Watari adjusted his glasses. "You know he's going to be mad no matter if I check him out now or later," he stated.

Tsuzuki nodded and shrugged his shoulders, his expression sad. He was well used to Hisoka's wrath at times like these. No matter how many times he showed his partner how much he cared, especially since the fire at Shion University, Hisoka always tried to back off, whether it was with anger and or a sarcastic remark. Tsuzuki knew he was only trying to protect himself, but he also knew how deeply Hisoka cared back, even if he was scared to show it most of the time. In many ways, even with what they had been through together, Hisoka was still very much of afraid trusting anyone. The scars inflicted by both his parents and Muraki would remain a part of his soul forever.

Tsuzuki sighed, opened the door wider, and crossed over to the bed. He brushed some strands of wheat-colored hair away from Hisoka's forehead and then gently reached down to shake his shoulder. "Hisoka?" he called quietly. "Hisoka? Come on, you've got to wake up now."

Hisoka's eyelids fluttered for a moment before they opened and his green eyes opened to look up at Tsuzuki blearily. "Tsuzuki?" He moved to sit upwards, rubbing his eyes. He yawned. "What time is it?"

Tsuzuki sat down on the end of the bed. "Only a little after 10. You've been asleep about two hours," the older shinigami replied. He smiled sheepishly at his partner. "I brought Watari."

"You what?" Hisoka demanded, sitting up completely. His eyes turned toward the doorway where the blonde shinigami was standing, waving at him. "Tsuzuki," he growled, glaring angrily at his partner.

"Now, now, kid, don't get angry at Tsuzuki," Watari said as he stepped completely into the room. "He's just worried about you."

"I'm fine," Hisoka retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. His heated gaze never left his partner, who had slipped off the bed and moved away to stand at the end of the bed.

"Really?" Watari countered. "Tsuzuki said you were in a lot of pain earlier. Something about losing your empathic shields?"

"I said I'm fine!"

"Well, let me just judge that for myself, okay?" Watari said. "Besides which, if Tatsumi finds out that you aren't well, you know he'll just pull the two of you off this case."

Hisoka grimaced and let his arms down, throwing off the covers. He knew when he was being blackmailed. "Fine then, poke away," he snarled

Watari smiled and approached the bed as Tsuzuki retreated to sit on the couch. The blonde-haired scientist then spent the next several minutes asking his younger colleague some questions and examining him. During the entire time, Hisoka kept glaring at his partner, but Tsuzuki just sat on the couch, his head supported by his hand, with a small amused smile on his lips. Hisoka knew the smile was just for show; he could feel Tsuzuki's concern through the link, which he had re-established upon waking.

Watari finished his examination, stood up, and turned toward Tsuzuki. "He's fine," he announced. "Even his empathic shields seem to be working."

"I believe I already said that," Hisoka muttered, as he crossed his arms again.

"Well, I'll let you two get back to work," Watari said with a smile. He turned back to Hisoka and brandished his index finger in his face. "Now try to not get hurt again, kid. I only allow one house call a case without telling Tatsumi about it." He walked over to the door and opened it to let himself out. "See ya around!" he exclaimed with a hearty wave as he closed the door behind him.

Tsuzuki moved back to his partner's bedside and sat down next to him. "So you want to tell me what happened? How did you lose your shields?"

Hisoka leaned back against the pillows and sighed. Although his shields were back up, they were still fragile, and Tsuzuki's continued anxiety about him was giving him a slight headache. He decided not answer his partner's question, but to ask one instead. "How many people did you see in the courtyard tonight at dinner, Tsuzuki?"

Tsuzuki gave him a puzzled look and shrugged. "At least seven or eight."

"I saw at least 30 or 40, maybe more," Hisoka told him.

Tsuzuki stared at him, his bewilderment eclipsing his anxiety and leaking over Hisoka's shields.

"Don't do that," Hisoka admonished him, his fingers rubbing his forehead.

"Sorry," Tsuzuki apologized sheepishly. He strengthened his own walls, barricading his emotions behind them. "I don't understand."

Hisoka shook his head. "I had to take down my shields to be sure," he explained. He rubbed at his forehead again. "I guess I went too far and lost them completely when that guy bumped into me."

"Hisoka?"

The young shinigami sighed and nodded his head toward their room window, which overlooked the courtyard. "I'm seeing ghosts, Tsuzuki, at least 30 or 40 of them. Mostly couples dancing and even a few kids running around. Strange thing was that I didn't hear them talking or laughing. Didn't hear any music, either."

"I didn't see any ghosts," Tsuzuki said. "Why would you see ghosts and not me?"

"I don't know," Hisoka replied. "But you passed through one of them without even batting an eye."

"That's not possible," Tsuzuki stated.

"Yeah, I know," Hisoka answered. "It's weird."

Tsuzuki stood up and walked over to the window, pulling the heavy curtain aside to look down into the courtyard. "I'm still not seeing any," he said. "There's the bartender and a couple of people sitting at the bar, but that's about it." He turned back to his partner. "Are you sure?"

Hisoka nodded, but then grimaced slightly. Tsuzuki walked back toward the bed as Hisoka slipped back beneath the covers. "Do you mind if we try to figure this out tomorrow, Tsuzuki?" he asked around a yawn. "I'm still tired and my headache's coming back." He closed his eyes.

Tsuzuki smiled gently as he pulled the covers over his young partner's shoulders. He studied the young man's face for several moments as Hisoka's breathing deepened into sleep, and then his fingers tenderly caressed Hisoka's cheek. "Sleep well, Hisoka," he murmured. He then changed into his pajamas and laid down in his own bed. He watched his partner's sleeping form for several minutes before succumbing to sleep himself.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: Yami no Matsuei is owned both by a very lucky woman in Japan and her publisher. I will never have any rights to Tsuzuki or Hisoka or Tatsumi or Watari. Why are the bishies already always spoken for? 

**Author's Note:** My grateful thanks go out to all those who reviewed the first chapter of this fic: Kura-sama, Clow Angel, Penguin-chan, Azana-azure, Crimson Hisuki, Yaoi-hunter, and especially, Fujifunmum, who knows how to be a true friend.


	3. Chapter 3

_Parallels_

By Amberle-chan

Chapter III

Hisoka woke up to the sound of a doorway slamming closed somewhere down the hotel corridor. He groaned slightly and sat up, scrubbing at his eyes to clear the left over bleariness away. His eyes then scanned the room and found Tsuzuki sitting on the window sill ledge looking outside. His partner was already dressed in his standard uniform—black pants and white dress shirt, although with it being so warm, the dress shirt was short-sleeved, and his tie was missing. They were supposedly on vacation, after all.

"Hey," he said as a morning greeting, flipping the bed coverings off himself.

Tsuzuki turned around immediately at the sound of his voice. "Ohayo, Hisoka!" he exclaimed with a big grin as he got off the window sill and hurried over to the younger man, his eyes gazing down at him. "Are you feeling better?"

Hisoka could feel his partner's concern through the link. He nodded reassuringly, and then stretched. "Yeah, I am," he replied, actually smiling a little. "I'll get showered and dressed and then we'll go eat."

Tsuzuki's smile brightened. "Yay! Breakfast!" he cried.

Hisoka rolled his eyes at his partner's reaction and hurried into the bathroom. Tsuzuki wouldn't be Tsuzuki if he didn't respond that way to the mention of food, but Hisoka could also feel his partner's overwhelming relief that he was well, and that made Hisoka feel even better.

Hisoka showered and dressed as quickly as possible because he was starting to get hungry as well. He and Tsuzuki headed down to the courtyard for some breakfast. They were seated immediately, and Tsuzuki lost no time in ordering chocolate chip pancakes with lots of whipped cream and coffee while Hisoka settled on tea and a plain croissant.

"Really, Hisoka, you're too skinny!" Tsuzuki declared as he waved his fork about. A dollop of whipped cream dripped onto the tablecloth. "You should eat more!" He shoved the half the pancake in his mouth.

"And I don't know how you don't choke to death by eating so fast!" Hisoka replied with a smirk. The nearly perfect mood he had awoken up to was gone. He leaned back in his chair and stared around the courtyard. The ghosts he had seen the previous day were still there. They hadn't been a hallucination or illusion. Today, however, they were all acting quite unlike any ghosts he had ever seen. They all seemed to be congregating in one corner. No one was dancing. Hisoka hunched his shoulders up, half afraid that he would be bombarded again by the despair he had felt from them yesterday, despite that his mental shields were as dense as he could make them.

Tsuzuki put down his fork and leaned closer to his partner, picking up the younger man's tenseness. "You're still seeing them, aren't you?" Hisoka nodded. "I'm still not seeing anything," Tsuzuki told him. "Where are they now?"

Hisoka thrust his chin in a direction just over Tsuzuki's left shoulder. "They're all huddled in the corner over there. Almost like they're having a conference or something. Yesterday, they were dancing, laughing, and singing."

"But you said you couldn't hear them," Tsuzuki said as he twisted in his chair to stare into the corner Hisoka had indicated. "What about now? Can you hear them now?"

"No," Hisoka answered. He took a sip of his tea, gazing at all the ghosts. Their behavior at the moment seemed quite strange. They were all gathered in a circle as if they were actually having some sort of meeting. Usually ghosts were solitary beings, alone in their endless torment. These spirits seemed to be quite social with each other. One of them, the spirit of a middle-aged man, seemed to be the center of attention.

None of it made sense!

Tsuzuki shook his head and slumped back in his chair. "This is weird. Maybe I'm the one who should have gotten checked out by Watari last night."

"The whole thing is strange," Hisoka said, as he leaned slightly over the table. "You can't see them, but I can, and then there's other thing…" His voice trailed off.

Tsuzuki's eyebrow lifted. "Other thing?"

"Not a single one of them has reacted to us at all, Tsuzuki," Hisoka said. "It's as if we're not even here."

Both of Tsuzuki's eyebrows lifted upwards. Hisoka had a point, and it was something that he would have noticed himself if he had seen the ghosts as well. Normally, every ghost they came into contact with would react in some way, either negatively or positively, but there would always be a reaction. They were Shinigami, after all.

"Maybe we should go over there and see what happens," Tsuzuki suggested.

Hisoka was about to reply when the waiter appeared at their table. "Ah, gentleman, I've just been asked to tell you that your breakfast will be on the house this morning," he announced with a little bow.

Tsuzuki was immediately distracted from the serious conversation they had been having. "Yay, more pancakes!" Tsuzuki crowed.

"Idiot!" Hisoka scolded him, scowling. He turned his attention to the waiter. "Not that we don't appreciate it, but how come?" the younger shinigami asked.

"It's on me," another voice said, as a young man strode up to their table. It was the man who had collided with Hisoka the night before. "I'm Harada Takeo," he introduced himself. "I'm sorry about last night. I hope you're feeling better?"

Hisoka nodded. "Yes, I am. Thank you."

Tsuzuki smiled at the young man. "Thanks for taking care of Hisoka until I got there, Harada-san."

"It's Takeo, and it was the least I could do since I caused the problem in the first place!" he replied with a sheepish grin.

"Well, I wasn't exactly watching where I was going, either," Hisoka stated wryly.

Takeo waved the statement away, and Hisoka cracked his shields lightly so he read the man. He quickly picked up that the man normally had a easy going personality, something that he wouldn't have been able to ascertain the night before, given their near-violent collision and his agonized mind at the time.

"I'm Kurosaki Hisoka, and this is Tsuzuki Asato," Hisoka introduced himself and Tsuzuki. "You work here at the hotel?"

"Hai," Takeo replied as he snagged a chair from another table and sat down. "I play piano in the lounge and keep everyone entertained. I hope what happened last night hasn't ruined your vacation."

Hisoka gave him a small smile. "No, really, I am fine. Thank you."

"Good!" Takeo replied with a smile. "We've been having enough problems here with other people getting sick. We don't need any more!"

"Sick?" Tsuzuki asked anxiously. His fork abruptly clattered unto his plate in alarm.

"Oh, no! It's nothing like that," Takeo assured them. He brushed one hand through his hair. Hisoka could feel his agitation quite easily. "Damn, I really said that wrong! It's just that we've had a couple of our guests die suddenly. It turns out that it was from natural causes, so really everything here is fine. Heart attacks, you know. There's really nothing to worry about."

He stood up from his seat. "Well, I've got stuff to do. I'll probably see you around. Come to the lounge tonight, and I'll get you a couple of free drinks. See ya!" He walked away with a smile and a wave.

"Huh," Tsuzuki commented once Takeo was out of earshot. "I guess he wasn't supposed to mention that at all."

"Probably not. They wouldn't want to scare guests away, now would they?" Hisoka replied. He took the last bite of his croissant and drank down the rest of his tea. "We'd better get to work."

"But I haven't finished yet!" Tsuzuki protested as he picked up his fork. "And Takeo said that breakfast was on the house…"

"You've already had more than enough," Hisoka declared, frowning at his partner. He refrained from physically removing Tsuzuki from his plate. He knew that Tsuzuki would gladly sit there until noon stuffing his face repeatedly. "Tatsumi gave us a limited amount of time, remember?"

"You're so mean…," his partner whined, but he dutifully put down his fork.

Hisoka rolled his eyes, but secretly smiled to himself. After months of not working at all, it was nice to know that they could still fall into their old routine so easily.

"I'll check out the staff while you take care of the guests, okay?" Hisoka suggested.

Tsuzuki nodded as he stood up and gave the remains of his pancakes a fornlorn look. "Meet you back here around one."

With his own nod in reply, Hisoka turned and walked back into the hotel.

xxvxx

"Nothing," Tsuzuki said dejectedly as he poked at his apple pie. "Absolutely nothing. If it wasn't for you seeing ghosts, I'd almost say that Tatsumi sent us to the wrong resort."

Hisoka looked up from the plain bowl of soba he was eating. "So the guests don't know about the murders?"

Tsuzuki waved his fork about in the air. "Well, you were right about what you said earlier. Management is probably telling the staff to keep quiet. The guests who do know anything aren't calling them murders. One woman called them 'unfortunate occurrences.' Said it was a shame that such young people had to die so early from heart attacks." The purple-eyed shinigami sighed and let his fork fall down to his plate with a loud clatter. "As far as the guests are concerned, nothing unnatural has happened here."

Hisoka nodded. "I got the same feeling from the staff, too, although I haven't talked to all of them yet," he replied. He jerked his head toward the other side of the courtyard. "I even asked if anyone had ever heard any ghost stories about this place. Not a single one."

Tsuzuki half turned in his seat toward the area that Hisoka had indicated, and once again saw nothing. He turned back and began to eat his pie to distract himself. Hisoka was not a liar, nor was he was one to see hallucinations. He was beginning to worry that maybe something was very wrong with his younger partner, and that perhaps he should speak to Tatsumi and have Hisoka taken off the case.

"What are you up to, Tsuzuki?" Hisoka suddenly demanded, a suspicious frown crossing his face. Tsuzuki had abruptly brought up his shields and made them so hard and tightly woven that not even the link Hisoka shared with his older partner was working properly. Hisoka could barely feel Tsuzuki's presence at all in his mind.

Tsuzuki smiled disarmingly. "Who me?" he asked. "Nothing! You just gave me an idea that's all! I think I'll go into town this afternoon and check out the local library. Maybe they've got some stories about this place filed away there." Tsuzuki finished the last of his pie in a hurried flourish. "What about you?"

Hisoka's eyes narrowed. With Tsuzuki's shields so hard to get through, he couldn't tell if his partner was lying to him. It was something Tsuzuki would do instantly if he thought he needed to protect his younger partner. He mentally sighed. He knew better than to argue with his partner over it. Tsuzuki could be remarkably obstinate when he wanted to be.

"I think I'll check out Takeo. We really didn't get much of a chance to talk to him this morning," Hisoka replied.

Tsuzuki nodded and stood up. "Okay, then. See you later!" He walked out of the courtyard with a wave and a smile. As soon as he left the hotel, he found a convenient empty alleyway and disappeared.

xxvxx

Hisoka followed Takeo as he made his way to the beach, carrying a guitar in one hand. Takeo eventually sat down in the warm sand several yards away from where the water was curling and tossing upon the sand and began to play. Hisoka, unseen, perched on nearby rock and listened to the gentle strumming of the guitar, enraptured by the beautiful sound.

He had had little exposure to music in his secluded cell at his house when he was growing up, and he had heard none at all for the three years he was in a coma. The only music he had heard recently was Maria Wong's haunting voice and Hijiri Minase's beautifully played violin. There had been little time to appreciate either, however. He found the lilting sounds of the guitar very soothing.

"It's Takeo! Hey, Takeo!"

Hisoka's head whipped around at the sudden shout, but he only saw a young boy running toward the man playing his guitar. "It's Takeo!" the boy cried again, and a moment later, he was joined by at least a dozen other children, both boys and girls, as they all pelted down the beach toward Takeo. A moment later, they all flopped down at his feet, each of them clamoring to hear a favorite song.

"One at a time, one at a time!" Takeo told the children with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry, everyone will get to hear their song!" He suddenly turned his head and smiled at Hisoka. "Do you want to join us, Hisoka?"

Hisoka was a bit startled by the invitation, but he did not reply. He was inclined not to be sociable, but he also realized that could raise questions he couldn't answer. He stood up, walked over, and sat down in the sand just outside the circle of the children. It was close enough to the group, but far away enough that he wouldn't be overwhelmed by the children's emotions, which could be quite unruly. Some of them turned around and stared at him openly. Hisoka did his best to ignore them; he had never been comfortable around children.

"I want to hear 'Lonely Moon'!" one young girl with braids cried out. A couple of the children agreed with her.

"Okay, then, we'll start off with 'Lonely Moon'," Takeo replied. He began to strum out the first cords of the song and then began to sing.

For the next two hours, Hisoka sat and listened to each and every song that Takeo sang and played, his mind and soul literally captured by the nuances of the music that Takeo created with his hands and voice.

The songs were all wonderful, and the children sang along with most of them. Some were slow and sad and others were fast and happy or just plain silly. There were even a couple that were funny, and Hisoka found himself snickering quietly to himself as the children laughed out loud. Takeo was quite a good performer, Hisoka decided, even though he knew little of music and its artists.

Takeo finished the last strum on the guitar strings and looked at Hisoka, smiling. "Now, it's your turn, Hisoka," he said. "What song would you like to hear?"

All of the children turned to gaze at him expectantly; Hisoka hung his head, shaking it at the same time. "I don't know any," he muttered. He could feel his face turning pink.

One of the boys heard him and pounced to his side, "How could you not know any songs?" he demanded, his brown eyes puzzled.

Hisoka's face became redder as he tried to back away from the boy, attempting to protect himself from the boy's intense curiousity.

He was saved from further questions by Takeo, who suddenly stood up and began wiping sand off his pants. "It's okay, you know," he said. "If Hisoka doesn't want to tell us, he doesn't have to." He smiled down at the children. "You kids should go now. Your parents are probably wondering where you are."

With a few grumbles, the children all stood up and scattered, all of them waving goodbye to Takeo. A few even waved a goodbye to Hisoka.

Takeo waved back and then turn his gaze to Hisoka. "Those kids don't know it, but I'm their babysitter. I keep them occupied a couple hours each afternoon so their parents can have some free time." His expression turned serious. "So you don't know any songs, huh?"

Hisoka blushed again, his cheeks deepening into dark red. "It's…kind of hard to explain," he stammered.

Takeo sat down again in the sand opposite him and grinned. "Well, I'll just have to teach you, won't I?" he said.

Hisoka stared at him in shock, mouth agape. "Teach me?" Except for the formal training he had to take part in because of his family traditions and the knowledge he needed to know in order to be a shinigami, no one had ever offered to teach him anything before—at least nothing like music.

"Sure, why not?" Takeo said. He handed the guitar to Hisoka and began his lesson by showing him how to hold it properly.

xxvxx

"Ah, Tsuzuki," GoShoShin said, "I thought you were still at the resort in Nagasaki."

"Yeah, well, I needed to check up on something," Tsuzuki replied as he walked into the library. "I need your help."

"What's up?" GoShoShin asked as he floated over to his computer terminal.

"Are there are any records of any other mysterious deaths at the Zephyr?" Tsuzuki questioned. "Say within the last 70 years or so?"

"That could take a while to check," GoShoShin answered. "Why do you need to know? Does it have something to do with your present case?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Tsuzuki said. "It's more about something that Hisoka keeps seeing." He sat down on a chair, his hands clasped before him. "I'm worried about him, actually."

"And what does he keep seeing that's got you so worried, Tsuzuki?" another voice asked.

Tsuzuki looked up; Watari was leaning back against one of the many library bookshelves, a half-asleep 003 perched on his shoulder.

"Ghosts," Tsuzuki replied.

"Ghosts?" GoShoShin and Watari asked at the same time. Tsuzuki nodded. "But we all see ghosts, Tsuzuki!" Watari said, grinning. "It's part of our jobs, you know!"

"I know that!" Tsuzuki replied, his voice exasperated. "That's just it! I haven't seen any ghosts at all, but Hisoka keeps insisting that he sees all these spirits in the hotel courtyard, at least 30 or 40 of them. He said that they were laughing and dancing last night, but this morning, it looked like they were holding a meeting." He ran his hand through his hair. "Ghosts don't have meetings!"

"We do," Watari said flippantly.

Tsuzuki glared angrily at him, his purple eyes turning glass hard. "We're not ghosts, Watari, and this isn't funny! I haven't seen a damn thing, and you know that's not right! Something's wrong here, and I'm afraid that it might be Hisoka."

"So that's why you want me to check on other mysterious deaths," GoShoShin commented. "To see if there really are supposed to be ghosts at the hotel." Tsuzuki nodded. "Don't worry, Tsuzuki, I'll get on it right away." He started to poke away at his computer keyboard.

Watari pulled Tsuzuki out into the hallway. "You didn't tell me anything about this the other night," he said.

"Yeah, well, he didn't tell me about it until after you left," Tsuzuki replied. "They're part of the reasons he lost his shields."

Watari's eyebrows lifted upwards. Hisoka normally would not lose his empathic walls to plain old ghosts. "Maybe you should have Tatsumi pull the kid off the case, Tsuzuki," the scientist suggested.

Tsuzuki shook his head. "No, Hisoka wouldn't want that," he replied, "so please don't tell Tatsumi yet, okay? I promise that if Hisoka does get worse, I'll drag him back here myself." Watari looked reluctant but then nodded in agreement. "Thanks, Watari," Tsuzuki said gratefully before he gave the scientist a pat on the arm and left.

xxvxx

After Tsuzuki returned to the hotel, he spent some more time talking to more of the guests and even went to the local library to check old newspaper reports on stories about hauntings at the hotel. He found nothing, so he went to the hotel once more and went searching for Hisoka. The afternoon was waning, and the sun more than three-quarters on its journey toward the western horizon. Finally, deciding to check the beach, he soon spotted his partner sitting on the sand with Takeo, a guitar in his hands. Tsuzuki's eyebrows rose in surprise, but then a soft smile crossed his face. It was good to see Hisoka taking an interest in something other than work. Even though it might be a long while before Hisoka became any good at it, he thought, wincing slightly when Hisoka played a very sour chord as he walked across the sand toward them.

Tsuzuki walked up to them and flopped down next to Hisoka. "So this is where you were," he said in a light tone. He gave his partner an inquisitive look. "You never told me you had any interest in learning to play an instrument, Hisoka," he said.

Hisoka blushed slightly and handed the guitar back to Takeo. "Umm, well, Takeo offered to teach me," he responded.

"I thought he should learn a song or two, since it seems he doesn't know any," Takeo commented. "Although he won't tell me how that's possible."

A light pink flush crossed Tsuzuki's face, and he scratched the top of his nose as he smiled wryly. "Well, that's kind of hard to explain."

Takeo stood up, his guitar clutched in one hand. "So he said." He shook his head. "You're both kind of strange, you know that? But different strokes for different folks, right?" He turned his wrist over to look at his watch. "I have to go get ready. If you guys are free later, you should stop by the lounge. See ya!" He gave them a wave goodbye and scrambled his way across the sand back toward the hotel.

Hisoka watched him go as Tsuzuki stared out over the ocean to the setting sun. It was nearly gone, just the last quarter arc peeking above the horizon. The sky was a palette of dark pinks and purples blending into a deep indigo.

"So you seem to like him a lot," Tsuzuki commented.

Hisoka nodded and turned to watch the sunset with his partner. "Yeah, he's just seems to be a generally nice guy," he replied. "I never even expected him to teach me anything about playing a guitar."

"So you actually enjoyed yourself."

A small smile graced Hisoka's lips. "Yeah, I guess I did."

Tsuzuki smiled and nudged Hisoka with his shoulder. "Good," he said. "You should let yourself do that more often. Not work all the time."

"Unlike somebody else I know," Hisoka answered teasingly.

Tsuzuki grinned at him, his eyes sparkling. "Ah, Hisoka, you're so mean!"

"Idiot," Hisoka murmured under his breath, but his lips curled up slightly once more. He was indeed feeling very good, the puzzle about the spirits he had seen temporarily pushed aside. He leaned his head against Tsuzuki's shoulder in a rare show of affection.

Tsuzuki smiled tenderly down at Hisoka and gently placed an arm around him, pulling him closer, content to quietly watch the last of the fading sunlight with his partner.

xxvxx

The nearly full moon had risen only slightly above the horizon when Tsuzuki noticed that Hisoka was shivering from the cooling night breeze and suggested that they go back inside the hotel. They started discussing the case as they walked across the sand.

"There aren't that many guests here at all, it being before the full summer season and all that," Tsuzuki said. "It was pretty easy to check them out. I didn't find a thing."

"Well, I was able to check out most of the wait staff and the concierge this morning," Hisoka replied, but then his expression turned slightly sheepish. "But I spent most of the afternoon with Takeo, so I'll have to check out the rest of them tomorrow."

"That's okay. We still have at least two days before the full moon anyway," Tsuzuki answered.

They walked into the hotel lobby. "So, Hisoka, do we have enough money for dessert after dinner? Or should I just order only dessert?"

Hisoka rolled his eyes as they moved down the hallway that led to the courtyard restaurant. Tatsumi may have put him in charge of their finances but that didn't mean that Tsuzuki wouldn't try to finagle as much money as he could, especially for his precious sweets. However, considering that he had not eaten lunch and they didn't have to pay for breakfast, he knew that there was more than enough money for dinner and dessert.

"Yes," Hisoka sighed. "I suppose there's enough for both dinner and…" His voice faltered as he suddenly halted, his eyes widening in confusion and shock as they entered courtyard.

Tsuzuki turned around when he realized his partner wasn't following him. "Hisoka?" he asked, alarmed at Hisoka's expression. "Hisoka? What's wrong?"

Hisoka shook his head and closed his eyes. A moment later, he opened them again. Tsuzuki laid one hand on his shoulder, and Hisoka could feel his partner's worry through the link. "I can hear them," he murmured. "I can hear them. They're still dancing, but I can hear them talking now." He winced in pain, one hand reaching up to rub at his forehead. "I couldn't hear them before. They're laughing…but it's not real…so much despair, desperation…" Hisoka closed his eyes again and wrapped his arms around himself.

"Let's get you out of here," Tsuzuki murmured, concern etching across his face. He laid one hand on Hisoka's arm and steered him back inside the hotel. "We'll eat in the room."

Their dinner was nearly silent as Hisoka refused to talk, and Tsuzuki mostly kept quiet, not wanting to further upset his already disturbed partner, although he found it difficult to hide his anxiety. The older shinigami suggested once that perhaps they should return to Meifu, but Hisoka flatly refused, and they lapsed back into silence.

"So do you want to go down to the lounge and hear Takeo play?" Tsuzuki suggested as soon as room service retrieved their used dishes and glassware. He hoped that Hisoka's new friend's talents might help distract him.

Hisoka stood up from the table and shook his head as he shuffled over to his bed. He was feeling bone weary and overwrought due to his abrased mind. "I'm tired, Tsuzuki," he told his partner. "Would you mind if I call it a night?"

Tsuzuki smiled a little sadly at the young man. They had been on this case only two days and already he could tell that it was taking too much of a toll on Hisoka. Once more, he wished that Hisoka was more amenable to going home, but knowing how stubborn the boy could be, he kept the thought to himself. It would only make Hisoka more upset than he needed to be.

Tsuzuki walked over to the door, opened it, and gave Hisoka a cheerful smile, but it was one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'll let you rest, then," he said quietly. "I'll try not to wake you when I get back. See ya later!" With a wave and another smile, he closed the door behind him.

Hisoka wearily got up from the bed to fetch his pajamas from the dresser. He changed quickly and placed his jeans and shirt back in the dresser, and then walked back toward the bed. His thoughts were on his partner as he flipped back the covers. He knew how deeply worried Tsuzuki was about him, but he was determined to solve the mystery of the ghosts, if only for his own peace of mind.

An abrupt sharp, icy coldness cut across his senses, seeping into his empathy with a deep hatred. He whirled around instinctively, searching for its source. His eyes saw nothing.

A moment later his body twisted in mid-air as he was thrown backwards, hitting his head heavily against the night table sitting between the two beds. He slumped to the floor, unconscious.


End file.
